even bigger gap than 69/31 what president obama beat john mccain among latinos in 2008. look, this is a problem in this election for republicans, andrea, but a bigger problem in 2016, 2020 and beyond. the hispanic community is obviously a young community, it's a growing community, it's a community that's going to register to vote more in line with their population numbers in years to come. republicans simply cannot lose the hispanic vote by 40, 50 points. they can't even lose it by 20 points. people like jeb bush, marco rubio who you showed earlier they understand that. i think the party needs to have a reckoning with where they are in immigration and courting hispanics. numbers like that, mitt romney maybe can win with a number like that, possibly nationally, but i will tell you in 2016, 2020 and beyond the party nominee will be hard pressed to win losing hispanic business that kind of margin. >> and finally, how big a deal is joe biden saying that the middle class has been buried for the last four years? >> yeah. >> republicans are going to make a big deal out of it. >> and are m

cnn the president has been out of practice. >> last debate president had was against john mccain. and he's had no debates in between and it just makes a difference. i can tell you from my own experience. >> back in 2008, the president had plenty of debate practice. sometimes, it showed. >> straight talk express lost a wheel on that one. >> sometimes, it didn't. >> he's very likable. i, i agree with that. i don't think i'm that bad. >> you're likable enough. >> thanks. >> that was a smackdown so unlike his nice guy image, the obama team still considers it one of the standout errors of 2008. tonight, his team says, the president will push mitt romney on specifics. >> he come to this debate with a heavy burden to finally put out those details of where he wants to take this country. >> a message his sparring opponent echoes. >> and about substance? >> sure. want to know. i want to know what's going on. >> policy. >> people are interested in the situation there in america, the challenges we face. sure. >> candy, today happens to be an important day for president obama for another reason. i

in character as barack obama, he really upset john mccain's wife. you have to tell me the story about cindy mccain. >> she was very good about attending debate preps and being with john. at one point, literally walked out. we knew she was walking out on purpose because i was going after her husband. >> it was too much for her to take. >> she still doesn't like me to this day. >> romney's been getting that portman treatment for more than a month. >> after the hour and a half is over, i want to kick him out of the room. >> sources close to romney say this is his danger zone. his tendency to get defensive, which produces gaffes. remember this? >> it was true then. >> no, rick, i'll tell you what -- 10,000 bucks? >> reviewed romney performances with his debate coach during the gop primaries. is mitt romney coachable when it comes to that? >> absolutely. absolutely. he was, he's a great student of political debate. he works very hard at it. >> brett o'donnell says it is proof romney is a quick study. >> all i want to do is allow the grandmother to be here legally with some rights. >>

. youeally know this turf because you worked for john mccain when he r ain barak a in 2008 and n in the primary season,ou worked for tt romney. let's assess the governor's weas debater first. strengths? >> wl, i think the governor is a very good messenger. he's a good orator, hecan deliver a speech. he's very good when he's on messand on offense. as you saw in the debates in flora ag when heot g offense, the governor was very effective. when he leans int a debate, he can be pretty fective. >> bill: allight. weness? >> weaknesses, whe he gets -- ke most every politician, when he gets defensive, that's when he mes mistakes. the $10,0 bet came when governorromney was being defensive abt his health care policynd instances where other debaters have been able to get him on the defense and when that happens, he tends to look b. bil all rht. you know that president oma is ing to try to do that. he's going to question his health care criticism, his flip flops on various issues. he's going to pre him from very specifics on your tax program and at you're goingo phase out as far as deductis are

his primary debate brett o'donnell. o'donnell also preparing john mccain for his debate against president obama. he tells bill o'reilly what mitt romney will need to do in order to come out on top tonight. listen to this. >> the burden in the debate is on the governor, or am i wrong? >> i think you are absolutely right. while the challenger gets elevated by being on the stage with the president clearly the president is on the mountain top. he won the last set of debates. there has to be a compelling reason for change. governor romney has the burden of proof. >> you prepped john mccain for his debate with barack obama. mccain held his own but didn't bring the debate to the president mccain never brought it to him. this guy doesn't know what he is talking about he is talking in generalities but that didn't get through to the electorate who liked obama and still likes obama. >> that is one of the reasons he has to go on offense. >> we will see tonight. coverage starts at 8:55 eastern time with megan kelly and bret baier. they will be live from denver. >> now test time for the 5@5:3

just are going full bore on the jeremiah wright stuff, as o of right now. in 2008 the john mccain had a choice about whether or not they should campaign on really overtly racial appeals. things like the jeremiah wright attack. they chose not to in 2008. if the romney campaign is going to keep going there along with the the conservative media, can it work this year? would it have worked in 2008? what are the lessons from john mccain having not gone there in 2008 when he had the chance? the senior strategist from 2008 joins us next. >>> you're about to see it for the first time. it contains some of the most divisive class warfare rhetoric ever used by barack obama. that's what journalists have been trying to hide for years. it's a glimpse into the mind of the real barack obama and it's one that all americans need to pay close attention to. >> that was fox news tonight. "huffington post" released tape of echoing the remarks about 47% of the country not taking responsible for their lives. paul ryan's remarks were that it was 30% of the country. they do not believe in the american dream and

obama, has a very very small resume. it lacks or lack when he ran against john mccain. foreign policy experience. did not know anybody. never ran a company. i think this will happen across the country and most polls. people will vote their conscience right before they took off. they will come in with preconceived notions. i was going to vote with john mccain. long experience. knows how washington works. a war hero. understand the economy. john mccain hands down. when i went into the voting booth, for some reason, and i cannot explain it, i voted for president barack obama. i can tell you, i am not happy, but i believe, most people, my estimation, most people in my estimation who voted for our president are unhappy. though polls tell you one thing and on the day when people will vote their conscience, something will happen. when people watch the presidential debates tonight, they will be listening with their eyes. they will not understand a lot of the words going by because they are not qualified to understand it. they will just say, i like what that person said. i like how they

lot of the theology wrong what she believes. in 2008, john mccain was endorsed by several pastors and it became multi-day stories in the media about john mccain's endorsements but the jeremiah wright stuff, you talk to a lot of reporters, they say barack obama never went to jeremiah wright's church. he just used that to build his political career in chicago. i as a conservative really don't think the media has portrayed barack obama's relationship with jeremiah wright as he himself did in 2008 and i still think that's a relevant topic. >> actually, bryce, let me bring you in here. then candidate obama in 2008 did make that speech in which he said i was there when he made controversial remarks and just like a lot of people disagree with their pastors, i disagreed with him on some of the things he said and here's the person i know, and then distanced himself. what do you make of this tape tonight? >> i think it's very interesting that anybody would say that we haven't properly vetted president obama. there are few situations where you are going to be scrutinized more heavily than by bei

the debates for years ago. i covered john mccain. it seems there were not as many people outside protesting the debates. i do know if that has changed the q. what can you tell us about the governor's preparations -- -- >> what can you tell us about the governor's preparations? how has he -- what are your observations, what you know about his preparations? >> mitt romney is a candidate who has been open about the fact he is not like to do debate prep during the primaries. that may be hurt him a bit. he would sit around a conference room tables with his aides and they would talk at him. but he did not like the lectern -- standing at a lectern with somebody standing in for an opponent. he began preparing in june and august. rob portman, who had been rumored to be on his vp short list assume this role of bertran obama, which she did four years ago for john mccain. romney has been joking about the fact that rob portman is very good at what he does and good at making obama -- last week, romney basically admitted to his supporters that portman had really made him angry in the preparatio

between senator john mccain and then senator obama four years ago. 80% of the country's adults reported watching at least some of the presidential debates in 2008. >>> enough of the real news, let's huddle up around the water cooler to get you ready for the rumble in the rockies. aides to president obama said he's focusing on looking calm. romney's team says it is loading up the candidate with zingers, one-liners aim the at the president. the campaign told "the new york times" last week, quote, mr. romney's team has concluded that debates are about creating moments and has equipped him with a series of zingers that he's memorized and has been practicing on aides since august. the zinger strategy apparently includes luring president obama into appearing smug or evasive in his responses, especially on questions of the economy. this is where jimmy fallon comes in. >> tomorrow is the first of three debates between myself and president obama. i'm looking forward to having a serious conversation with my opponent about the issues. i've always prepared a few zingers for the occasion. for exampl

of right now. in 2008 the john mccain had a choice about whether or not they should campaign on really ove overtly racial appeals. things like the jeremiah wright attack. they chose not to in 2008. if the romney campaign is going to keep going there along with the the conservative media, can it work this year? would it have worked in 2008? what are the lessons from john mccain having not gone there in 2008 when he had the chance? the senior strategist from 2008 joins us next. [ male announcer ] the 2013 smart comes with 8 airbags, a crash management system and the world's only tridion safety cell which can withstand over three and a half tons. small in size. big on safety. [ male announcer ] the exceedingly nimble, ridiculously agile, tight turning, fun to drive 2013 smart. ♪ overmany discounts to thine customers! [old english accent] safe driver, multi-car, paid in full -- a most fulsome bounty indeed, lord jamie. thou cometh and we thy saveth! what are you doing? we doth offer so many discounts, we have some to spare. oh, you have any of those homeowners discounts? here we g

the john mccain had a choice about whether or not they should campaign on really overtly racial appeals. things like the jeremiah wright attack. they chose not to in 2008. if the romney campaign is going to keep going there along with the the conservative media, can it work this year? would it have worked in 2008? what are the lessons from john mccain having not gone there in 2008 when he had the chance? the senior strategist from 2008 joins us next. overmany discounts to thine customers! [old english accent] safe driver, multi-car, paid in full -- a most fulsome bounty indeed, lord jamie. thou cometh and we thy saveth! what are you doing? we doth offer so many discounts, we have some to spare. oh, you have any of those homeowners discounts? here we go. thank you. he took my shield, my lady. these are troubling times in the kingdom. more discounts than we knoweth what to do with. now that's progressive. >>> you're about to see it for the first time. it contains some of the most divisive class warfare rhetoric ever used by barack obama. that's what journalists have been trying to

had great respect for john mccain. he didn't think he should be president, but he had great respect. he doesn't feel that way toward mitt romney. he has to-- mitt romney ought to be in with a little bit of confidence, judy, because the fact that he's had a terrible two weeks by a two to 1 margin polls people feel the information they've gotten the last two weeks make him less favorable, and yet he's closed the gap. i think he ought to go in and have the sense that this race is winnable, but he's got to come out with two things. one is that now i know that he understands what we are going through. his manifest acts of kindness to fellow parishioners who lost their jobs, which we heard about at the convention, which are really admirable, there is no sense they go beyond to a continental or national sense. and the second, now i understand what he wants to do about the economy. and they make sense. i understand it. the three things he's proposing make sense. >> woodruff: romney? >> that's what romney has to do. >> woodruff: if that's what romney needs to do, david, what about the the pr

than i was john mccain. i thought john mccain was just an extension of george bush. we had had enough of that. >> brown: but polls show enthusiasm remains a question mark here for mitt romney and for the president. he also has to worry about criticism from his left. people like duke economics professor william garretty who cites the almost one in five blacks out of work here and says the president simply hasn't done enough to help. >> that's pretty staggering actually. i mean, we're approaching the kinds of unemployment rates that existed in the united states at the height of the great depression. in the african-american community in north carolina. >> brown: he has decided to sit out the presidential vote >> i'm going to vote for the other offices on the ballot but i'm just not going to cast a vote for the presidency >> brown: you're not? no brown: you feel okay i feel okay about it. my wife tells me i'm crazy. >> ready to go brown: no doubt octave i can't rainy thinks he's crazy too >> you have to vote for people who support our issues. >> brown: a community organizer working

compared with 26 terz for mitt romney. romney here is doing worse than john mccain did back in 2008 who got 31%. the latino vote. also worse than george w. bush in 2004 who got 44% of the latino. anna, to you. is there anything at this point that romney can do to get the latino support up? >> well, suzanne, i think praying on novina might help. look, he -- we had a tough primary on the republican side. i think mitt romney has been an unknown commodity to his hispani hispanics. he doesn't come from a border state like john mccain or george w. bush did. he has not done a great intense voter outreach with the latinos because he ran out of money after the primary. he -- let me just be absolutely truthful and give smu straight talk as john mccain would say. mitt romney dug himself into a hole with latinos during the primary. he said some things that are coming back to haunt him. he now needs to find a way to dig himself out of that hole. i think the only way he will do it is if he really continues the intense activity outreach with latinos, speaks to latinos a directly as he can and as often as

through. you know, this was a point in 2008 when something similar happened with john mccain. he couldn't recall in an interview how many houses or properties he owned. that became a sort of explaining narrative for all sorts of reasons why, and this may sound familiar, why he seemed out of touch. this 47% video resonated to a greater degree than john mccain not remembering how many homes he owned. so, if you have failed at this point to explain who you are, if you have another version of that story out there, you cannot undo it in one debate. you can try and engage with people directly to camera, but mitt romney is also going to want to land some punches. that's going to take time away from his job, number one, which should be telling people, for once, who he really is. >> i think that may be intentional. john, this is how romney's running mate paul ryan addressed the 47% comment captured in that secret video yesterday. take a listen. >> is there any way possible that this 47% can pay a nominal fee or something so they feel that they have small ownership in the government and ma

barack obama won the state by nine points over john mccain. let's take a look at the swing states here, and colorado in particular. the yellow of course are the battleground states. they are all in play. colorado in particular, their economy slightly above the national average, in terms of unemployment, 8.2%, average gas price $3.78, that is double from when the president took office. foreclosure rate is the 10th highest in the nation, one out of 617. and barack obama and mitt romney each have visited the state seven times. so, obviously, very important to their campaigns. 5million-plus population, nine electoral votes. the governor and both u.s. senators are democratic, but there is a slight advantage to republicans in terms of registration. major industries, aerospace and energy, and here is the latest poll average "real clear politics," the president has roughly a 3-point edge. receive fan tubbs is cohost of colorado's morning news show on kola radio in denver. before the 2008 election republicans had won pretty consistently most of the contests, but independents there in color

seen checking his watch looking bored. bush said he was waiting for the night to be over. john mccain took heat as he tried to portray barack obama as a washington insider. >> an energy bill loaded down with goodies. it was sponsored by bush and cheney. you know who voted for it, that one. you know who voted against it, me. >> of course, sometimes it is not what you say but what you do that gets you in trouble. go back to 1960. vice president richard nixon had recently gotten over a bout with an infection that left him looking shaky. kennedy looked healthy and strong. when kennedy won nearly half said the debate played a role in the decision. al gore was criticized for sighing and rolling his eyes while debating george bush in 2000. and then capped it off with this moment. >> it is not what your philosophy and position on issues but can you get things done. and i believe i can. >> that's funny. i'm sorry. you hear this next one repeated many times. it came from ronald reagan during his debate with jimmy carter. reagan posed a simple question. >> are you better off than you were

coming from a guy whose first campaign ad against barack obama presented a quote about john mccain and pretended that president obama was saying it about himself. they defended the ad as honest. romney is running on his business create. he says he created 100,000 jobs as the ce ork as bain. he claimed he had no involvement with managing bain after 1999. but wait a minute. sec filings show him as the ceo and sole stake holder in the company for three additional years. now during those years, what happened? thousands of people were laid off in the bain companies while mitt romney profited. speaking of bain, romney says he's going to get tough on china as president if he's elected. even though his recent tax returns show that he was making investment money all from chinese internet companies accused of stealing american content. he says president obama apologizes for america overseas even though not a single transcript ever shows him apologizing. when mitt romney had a chance to weigh in on the international incident, what did he do? he accused president obama of sympathizing with america

classic example going back to 2007, john mccain talking about osama bin laden. i wa to play that. >> another painful one. >> on the subject of osama bin laden, he is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent americans, he is now orchestrating other attacks on the united states of america, we will do whatever is necessary, we will track him down, we will capture, bring him to justice and i'll follow him to the gates of hell. >> okay. >> oh, gosh. >> that was like a smile. >> yes. so that's -- you know, sort of nonverbal asin cronie. between either the content of what the person is saying and the nonverbals are saying or asynchronies between the nonverbals. when you are saying you are following someone to the gates of hell, you shouldn't be smiling. ewers don't know why, but it makes them feel bad. it is very adversive to see that kind of thing. >> there are reports that romney's team is preparing what are called zingers for tomorrow night's debate. when a candidate has been stung by one, it can be very effective. the exchange between ronald reagan and walter mondale demo

barack obama and highlighted john mccain's weakness when it came to the economy. so what about this year 2012? that old video of an angry speech with racial overtones by then candidate obama which resurfaced last night could sway some voters. or maybe the surpriseis still lurking out there somewhere. tonight's debate has the potential to provide one. there's always a chance for significant economic news, jobs report, the potential for the u.s. to go off that well-talked about fiscal cliff. and it's not hard to imagine some unexpected event in the middle east, take your pick, iran, israel, syria, libya. here's the question, what will be the october surprise in this year's presidential election? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile, post a comment on my blog. or go to our post on "the situation room" facebook page. trick or treat, wolf. >> yeah. october surprise, i suspect there will be at least one or two big ones coming up. >> probably. >> yep. thank you. >>> let's get more now on that video that jack just mentioned five years ago. five years ago during his first presidential campaign then-senator

other campaign battlegrounds facing job losses. arizona senator john mccain says companies have a choice. whether to rely on the administration's politically motivated guidance or to comply with the law. "i can assure them i will do everything in my power to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to compensate contractors who do not comply with the law." while the administration is betting it will prevail on the showdown, congress has the power of the purse. beyond this fight, there is also a concern this would gut the warn act and may hurt workers in the communities if employers don't feel required to give out layoff notices. bret? >> bret: emanuel back in washington. thank you. now to tonight's text to vote question. we thought we'd ask you the memorable debate moment. we had four. sr1 to ronald reagan to president carter in 1980. there you go again on democratic charges for medicare. text sr2 for lloyd benson to dan quail in 1988. he use jack kennedy and you're no jack kennedy. sr3. size in 2000. sr4. gerald ford's answer in 1976 there was no soviet domination of eastern eur

right at the beginning, take him to the cleaners, right out of the gate, no wasted time, do what john mccain did not get down four years ago. i hate to say that. this is a choice between tax cuts and tax hikes. you need to make that case. now i want to hear from our panelists in the kudlow caucus. former clinton white house aide, keith boykin. rick lazio, former republican congressman from new york. rick lazio, i begin with you, good evening to you. >> hello, larry. >> this is a gigantic audience, the key issue of our time is still the economy and jobs. so far mitt romney has not been able to make the sale. that's what the polls show. that's why this thing is close. why hasn't he and what's he going to do tonight differently than he's done in the past. >> i think he's going to make the contrast with president obama, why expanding the pie is in the national interest. not redistributing an ever slowing economy but expanding the pie so everybody gets a job that wants a job, people's salaries are rising. i think he needs to lay out the picture, paint the picture for the audience, frankly,